Nepal Heritage Trail (7 Days)

11:00 AM – Arrive Kathmandu airport, check-in

02:30 PM – Pashupatinath Temple — sacred Hindu site on the Bagmati River (UNESCO)

04:00 PM – Boudhanath Stupa — 46m dome, prayer wheel circuit at dusk (best time for monks)

06:00 PM – Thamel dinner (momo, dal bhat, Everest beer)

Overnight: Kathmandu

09:00 AM – Bhaktapur Durbar Square (4 km from Kathmandu) — UNESCO medieval palace city (entry NPR 1,500)

11:00 AM – 55-Window Palace, Nyatapola Temple (55m tall, 5-storey pagoda)

12:30 PM – Lunch at Bhaktapur (traditional juju dhau curd, local Newari food)

02:00 PM – Drive to Nagarkot (28 km, ~1 hr)

03:00 PM – Nagarkot viewpoint — one of Nepal's best Himalayan panoramas (Everest visible on clear days)

05:00 PM – Sunset over the Himalayas

Overnight: Nagarkot

08:00 AM – Morning Himalayan sunrise views from Nagarkot hill

09:00 AM – Drive to Chitwan (150 km, ~4–5 hrs)

01:30 PM – Arrive Chitwan, resort check-in & lunch

03:00 PM – Afternoon jeep safari — rhinoceros, gharial crocodiles, spotted deer

05:00 PM – Elephant bathing at riverbank — watch elephants bathe & play

06:30 PM – Cultural Tharu dance show at resort

Overnight: Chitwan

06:00 AM – Dawn canoeing on Rapti River — gharial crocodiles & birds at sunrise

08:00 AM – Breakfast

09:30 AM – Jungle walk with naturalist guide — tracking wildlife on foot

11:00 AM – Elephant-back safari (book ahead, see rhinos up close)

01:00 PM – Lunch at resort

03:00 PM – Jeep safari deep into Chitwan National Park — tigers, leopards, 500+ bird species

Overnight: Chitwan

08:00 AM – Drive to Lumbini (85 km, ~2.5 hrs)

10:30 AM – Maya Devi Temple — exact birthplace of the Buddha (UNESCO, entry free)

11:30 AM – Sacred Pond, Ashoka Pillar (3rd century BC, King Ashoka's marker)

12:30 PM – Lunch

02:00 PM – World Peace Pagodas & International Monastery Zone — 20+ countries have built temples here

04:00 PM – Drive to Pokhara (200 km, ~4–5 hrs)

Overnight: Pokhara

05:00 AM – Drive to Sarangkot for Annapurna sunrise — most spectacular mountain view in Nepal

07:00 AM – Return hotel, breakfast

09:30 AM – Phewa Lake rowboat to Tal Barahi Temple island

11:30 AM – Davis Falls & Gupteshwor Mahadev Cave

01:00 PM – Lunch at lakeside restaurant

03:00 PM – International Mountain Museum (mountaineering history)

05:00 PM – World Peace Stupa sunset hike

Overnight: Pokhara

05:30 AM – Optional Sarangkot sunrise (second morning opportunity)

08:00 AM – Breakfast, drive/fly to Kathmandu (~6 hrs drive or 25-min flight)

10:00 AM – Arrive Kathmandu

11:00 AM – Last shopping at Thamel (pashmina, singing bowls, spices)

01:00 PM – Lunch

Depart from Tribhuvan International Airport